This Punishment For Makeup Is Too Hard

2 Teachers May Have Removed Students' Makeup By Force

Pushing the boundaries with your makeup, whether those are defined by your own ability or your school's rules, is a rite of passage in high school. But in Cairns, Australia, two girls' rebellious mascara and foundation didn't get them reprimanded or sent to the principal's office — it got them an in-class, not-so-gentle makeup removal.

Two teachers from Cairns State High School are currently under investigation for allegedly making a group of Year 9 students (freshmen, in the U.S.) stand in front of the class, and then forcibly removing their foundation and mascara. Makeup is banned at the school, but a rule violation like this could have been better dealt with by giving the students detention and a bathroom pass to get the job done — on their own terms, in private.The Cairns Post reports that the students' faces were "allegedly scraped by the teachers’ fingers, to ensure [the makeup] was properly removed."

A Department of Education spokeswoman wouldn't provide the publication with any more insight into this case. She did, however, tell The Cairns Post: "Students who do not comply with the dress code may be disciplined, in line with the school’s responsible behaviour plan for students."